


Headlines

by miss_aligned



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Mass Effect 3, One Shot, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 18:15:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8295332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_aligned/pseuds/miss_aligned
Summary: An entire war captured through the eyes of a man who likes to stay up to date.





	

_Commander Shepard to Join Prototype Frigate Normandy_

Kaidan read the details over coffee one early morning as he prepared to board the Normandy himself. He’d already known who the new officer aboard would be, of course, but he was admittedly rather interested to know if the reporters had any more intriguing information about her. Sadly, they only reported the things that just about anyone that served in the Systems Alliance knew. They provided an overview of her past service for humanity, but no details about her personality or homelife. It was foolish to hope that such silly minutiae had been included, but he was... unusually curious. In the dim early morning light, he shrugged to himself and determined that he might just have to figure out those finer points for himself.

_Commander Shepard Rumored to be Candidate for the Citadel Council’s First Human Spectre_

Kaidan smiled over his cup of orange juice as he read the words. As he fueled up with some extra calories for another day of who-knows-what-sort-of-fighting, his chest swelled with pride to know that the rumor was true. He honestly couldn’t think of a better choice to represent humanity on a galactic stage. She was strong, tough, smart, and compassionate. He knew that if someone asked her about it, she’d likely explain that the crew of the Normandy was the reason she’d made it so far. She’d be adorably shy and humble about the recognition. He scratched his chin as he wondered if his appreciation of her charm went further than strictly necessary. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for that.

_Commander Shepard Amassing Bizarre Alien Coalition Aboard Normandy_

He took another large swig from his water bottle, rehydrating after a fight, shaking his head at the words. When he thought about it, however, it did look a little strange from an exclusively uninformed human point of view. They’d gathered the aid of a turian, a krogan, an asari, a quarian… yeah, looking at it that way, it did seem a little odd to see such a force aboard the Normandy. In the end, however, it didn’t matter. Shepard had made the right choices in allies, otherwise they never would have made it so far in the fight to catch Saren. It might have looked a little strange from the outside, but he wouldn’t have changed a thing. It had been a bumpy road, but he was honored and excited to be a part of it.

_A Planet’s Ecosystem Possibly Destroyed and Commander Shepard to Blame_

The tea was a little too hot to drink just yet, but he knew that it was what Shepard wanted, even if she hadn’t specifically requested it of him. Somehow, he was determined to give her everything and anything she desired. Kaidan sighed heavily as he read the headline. They only knew part of the story. Yes, Virmire was heavily impacted in the aftermath, but so was she. They didn’t know the details of what was happening at that facility and how it might have destroyed the galaxy if it had been left to run as designed. They didn’t know the sacrifices made in the heat of the moment. They didn’t know or appreciate Ashley like she did. They didn’t know how she punished herself continuously for the choices she had to make. They didn’t know how she’d crushed herself and her crew just like that ecosystem. He saw his own pain and guilt reflected in her eyes and he was determined to help her recover. For them both.

_Commander Shepard Reveals Connection Between Saren and Reapers_

The acknowledgement of months of work was as sweet as the unidentified fruit juice concoction he was enjoying that he’d managed to scrounge up in the galley. It was about time that someone listened and realized just how hard Shepard had worked to prevent galaxy-wide catastrophe. She deserved better treatment for her dedication. He silently acknowledged that his viewpoint was a bit skewed, also, but she deserved more respect, more support, more love. He sighed heavily. She might not receive all of the things she’d rightfully earned, but this was a big step in the right direction. Maybe, just maybe… the rest might fall into place, too.

_Commander Shepard Saves the Citadel_

There was no stopping the smile that crept across his lips at reading those words. He sipped what was left of his glass of champagne -a little celebration of victory- and glanced down at the incredible woman tucked under his arm, asleep. It had been an unimaginable struggle, but he knew now that it had absolutely been worth it. They were both bruised and battered, but he wouldn’t have changed a thing… even breaking fraternization regs. Especially breaking fraternization regs.

_Commander Shepard Missing in Action_

He knew better than to check the news, but he felt so disconnected. He couldn’t think of a more appropriate way to get up to speed on things beyond his little world of misery. Unfortunately, just like his own thoughts, the galaxy was abuzz with the fate of Commander Shepard. Overwhelming guilt and heartbreak threatened to destroy him as he read the words. She shouldn’t have been missing. She should have been right there by his side at that very moment. It was his fault that she wasn’t. Her wellbeing had been his responsibility, and he’d failed to keep her safe. He’d managed to deprive himself and the galaxy of an amazing woman and hero. He slammed his glass down on the counter. Whiskey wasn’t a good breakfast, anyway.

_Commander Shepard Back in Action and Better than Ever_

Kaidan snorted. He knew better than to fall for such outlandish tabloid garbage, but he almost hoped it was true. He drained what was left of his coffee and internally scolded himself for such childish hopes. The very idea that she’d been spotted on Omega and had affiliations with Cerberus almost made him laugh out loud. At the same time, though, he didn’t feel at all like laughing. That ever-present ache in his chest that he tried so desperately to ignore thrummed in time with his heartbeat. Regardless, he had to be strong. It was time to head out to his new assignment to deal with a human colony in danger and desperate need of aid before it became the next victim of whatever mysterious force was wiping humans out by the thousands. With any luck, he’d fix the problem or die trying.

_Commander Shepard Shuns Alliance, Joins Cerberus_

It hit him like a punch in the gut. It tasted about as bitter as the disgusting energy drink in his hand. He didn’t like it, but he had to deal with it. There was a lot of work to be done, a lot of cleanup to handle, and endless reports to submit on just what happened to the colony on Horizon. Still, his mind drifted to the woman he’d seen and embraced there in the thick of the chaos. It looked like her. It felt like her. But her surprise and indifference to his suffering all this time… it couldn’t be her. Could it? He wasn’t ready for her to be back and break his heart for good this time.

_Commander Shepard Turns Herself Over to Alliance Custody After Mystery Mission_

Surely the Alliance prided itself on the cheapest coffee known to man. It was never good, but people drank it by the gallon regardless. He took another swig of the acrid, dark liquid as he scanned over the story. This time, Kaidan knew more about what was going on with Shepard than the media did, but he still had a lot of questions. He wasn’t sure if he believed any of it. The only thing he knew for certain was that the nagging ache in his chest hadn’t subsided and that she was in that very same building at that very same moment. He’d already approached the sector where she was being kept at least a dozen times in the past few weeks, but he couldn’t seem to convince himself to go any further. He wasn’t ready to taint the wonderful memories of the woman he’d loved with a monster created by Cerberus in her image.

_Millions Dying, Commander Shepard and the Normandy Are on the Move_

Kaidan wasn’t a fan of apple juice, but at least it had a little flavor, unlike the rest of the hospital food he’d been given. His head still throbbed, but he was getting restless in bed and he needed to know what was happening. He couldn’t keep his eyes open for too long, thanks to all of the painkillers, but he breathed a sigh of relief to know that the Normandy was still up and about even after Mars. It was sad that it had taken a galactic tragedy and near-death experience to make very important realizations, but he recognized now that Shepard hadn’t changed as much as he’d feared. In their brief work together since Earth came under attack by reapers reminded him that he still loved her. He had a hunch that she still loved him, too. He wasn’t ready to lose her again.

_Citadel Survives Attack, Newly Appointed Human Spectre Alenko Joins Commander Shepard and the Normandy_

It was strange to read about himself in the headlines. Kaidan wondered for a moment if this was what Shepard felt like when she saw all of the media attention she received. She had a remarkable ability to ignore it all, and now he could see why. The information they had on his service history was incomplete at best and couldn’t they have used a better picture? He smacked his lips in satisfaction. At least the beer was good at Apollo’s. Any minute, Shepard would arrive and he could finally get his thoughts out in the open. They’d been awkwardly dancing around one another for a while now, and he felt ready at last to set the record straight and move forward. He was ready to tell her how he really felt.

_Another Planet Falls in the Fight Against the Reapers_

Earth. Palaven. Tuchanka. Rannoch. Thessia. There were plenty of others, too, that had been tainted or overcome by reaper forces. Kaidan sighed as he looked over the details and sipped the wine that he and Shepard had elected to enjoy for a last quiet evening aboard the Normandy. It seemed that no matter how hard they fought, the enemy troops were endless. One step forward, two steps back. The updates on the war effort were less frequent these days, for obvious reasons, but the media also wasn’t exactly aware of the far-fetched plan that Shepard and Hackett were leading. He hoped that it was just crazy enough to work. He didn’t feel like any of them were ready for the final push to save the galaxy, but it certainly felt like it was coming. Soon.

_VICTORY_

It was simple, though the details were garbled and scant at best. It was the only correspondence he'd been able to track down thus far after seemingly endless work to establish some sort of communication with the rest of the galaxy. He should have been thrilled, but he felt nothing but anxiety, fear, and heartbreak. No one had heard from Shepard and even in his injured state, he was looking for a way to get out of the Normandy, make repairs, and get back to search for her as soon as possible, though he barely knew where to start on that front. He couldn’t believe he’d survived at all, to be honest. He’d planned to die at her side, but he’d left her alone. She had gone on to face the reapers and activate the Crucible on her own. He’d promised himself that he’d never allow her to go solo, but he’d failed. He fought back the tears as he picked up the glass of liquor he’d poured himself. He stared at the amber liquid for a long while before setting it aside and pushing it away. No. Kaidan had determined to fight harder than ever before. He learned from his past mistakes and he wasn’t going to give up on Shepard this time. He was going to fight for her, to find her, to spend the rest of his life by her side. He was ready.


End file.
